


Strangers

by remnantvoid



Series: Strange and New [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fade to Black, Fluff, It's kind of sad, Lots of it, M/M, MAN UP NOCTIS, and luna is so done with him, and there will be times where ignis has a tree up his ass, because prompto is a bag of angst, chocobosss, clarus is a bit of a poop, coffee shop AU, like wow, ravus is an emo piece of work, slowwww burnnn, the fluffiest part is probably the nyx parts, trolldads regis and ardyn, yes ardyn is a dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-04-07 02:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14071281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remnantvoid/pseuds/remnantvoid
Summary: " Can I take your ord - Holy shit you're gorgeous. "In which Noctis and Gladio find their tongues tied upon looking at each other, Nyx and Prompto go through hell and Ignis just wants someone to love him.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pinknoonicorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinknoonicorn/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Wherein Noctis spills coffee, Gladiolus curses, Nyx gets scolded, Prompto cuddles a pillow and Ignis sighs.

Lucis was well known for being a bustling city, a city filled with magic and wonders. Filled with enough stuff to make your eyes glitter. The sky always shone in the morning light and sparkled during the night, people in Lucis, they were almost all happy, and that to a lot of people is all that matters. The city's name no longer had a meaning as the last line of Lucis' fell when the king left with his name and his son, but none remembered that anymore, as it was over two thousand years ago. But this story doesn't focus on the royal family or the tale of the princess and her loyal friends setting out on an adventure to get her married to the oracle. 

No, this focuses on a small coffee shop on the corner of a not so busy street, in a not so bustling part of the city. This focuses on the coffee shop commonly known as  _The Chocobro Haven,_ a shop with a little chocobo stop on the outside of it. A shop run by a man who enjoys annoying his young son a little too much, a shop with no more than two bartenders and two waiters working in it. A shop always filled with the smell of fresh bread and cakes. The scent of coffee following anyone who dares to step into this shop. 

The shop wasn't too busy that day, with only a couple people in there, the regulars no doubt. And only two of the staff were present at work, as it was their shift. A young raven haired, pale skinned boy and a young blond, freckle covered boy, commonly known as Noctis and Prompto.

Noctis' face was filled with mischief as he talked to his friend, the other's face a bright red in embarassment, " Noct please stop -- ", he begged worried that his father would hear and have yet another thing to tease the young boy about, " But Prompto I'm telling you his ass was so -- "

As if on cue a man walked in from the back, his long purple hair falling into his eyes and a wide grin on his face, in one swift move he was next to the two boys, leaning on the counter with his elbow, wiggling his eyebrows at the two in a strange manner, his eyes filled with more mischief than his smile, there was a dead silence. And the man seemed to deflate even if it was just a little, his smile faltering slightly, " No please, Noctis. Continue what you were saying. " the man said, watching as Prompto let out a loud groan, " Dad - Please go away. No one likes you. " Noctis snorted loudly as he watched Ardyn sulk, before shuffling away sadly. Prompto shook his head softly, he did love his dad, most of the time.

The bell chimed as two men walked in. Neither of them looked familiar, and even if they had been here before, Noctis didn't get a good look at them before he had to scurry to grab his tray and pad. He allowed them to sit down before he walked over to them with a smile on his face. He grabbed his pen as the two put the thin menus down, he looked at the one to the left, he was thin, glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, he had whiteish blond hair that Noctis was certain was going to fly away at any moment and he had shining emerald green eyes. He gave the man a smile, receiving an earnest nod in reply, he turned to the other man, " Can I take your ord - Holy shit you're gorgeous. "

The words came out of his mouth before Noctis could stop himself, and the man seemed to choke on his own spit, and a loud snort could be heard from Prompto. Noctis' cheeks went bright red and he muttered a small apology, to which the man shook his hands softly, telling him it was fine and that he felt honoured.  Noctis took their order and ran away as quickly as he could, flipping Prompto off as the boy began laughing loudly in the back as they prepared the coffee the two had ordered. " You know Noct, you're right, you really are smooth. " Noctis pinched the boy before grabbing the drinks and slowly walking back out, back towards the table that he dreaded so much at this moment. 

His steps were short and slow, mainly because he was trying not to fall and spill coffee all over himself. But that would be too easy, as he felt himself falling thanks to his shoelace. He cursed the astrals in every way possible. The steaming hot coffee went flying through the air, one of the cups landed on the floor with a crash. The other flew a little further, landing on the crotch of the man he had called gorgeous. His chestnut-gold eyes widened, and he bit his fist, but even that couldn't stop the loud swearing, " Fucking Archaean! " He shouted. The man sat with him sighed softly, passing him a of couple napkins, so he could clean himself up. 

Noctis just faceplanted the floor.

* * *

 

Prompto reached his shared apartment and opened the door, satisfied upon hearing the soft click. He walked in, setting his shoes just inside the door, looking around for his boyfriend. Hearing a couple of grunts he closed the door quietly. He laughed as Nyx appeared from the hallway, one of his boots half dangling from his foot, his jacket only halfway on his arms and his hair flopping as he moved.

The man looked up, smiling bashfully at Prompto who was slowly making his way towards him, helping him put his jacket and shoe on, " I've told you a bunch of times to get ready earlier, Nyx. You're always late. " he scolded softly, watching as the man rubbed the back of his neck, apologizing before pecking him on the nose, telling him he'd be back soon as he rushed out of the apartment. Prompto sighed softly as he walked towards the couch, sinking into it as he sat there, like every other night, waiting for Nyx to come back. Hugging a pillow close to his chest, hours passed and he felt his eyes grow heavier, slowly closing as sleep took over his body.

Nyx got home at around six in the morning, kicking off his boots with a tired sigh, wanting to just go to sleep. He looked over at the couch out of habit at this point, finding his small, pale boyfriend sat there, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and his arms wrapped tightly around a pillow. The man sighed once more, walking towards his boyfriend, he removed the pillow from his arms and picked him up. He slowly made his way towards their bedroom. He set the male down before laying down himself, wrapping his arms around Prompto, and snuggling closer to him, warming them both up. Prompto smiled slightly in his sleep, Nyx's eyes closed.

" Night, my baby chocobo. "

" Night, Nyx. "

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll try to keep this fluffy, I'll probably fail miserably, but hey, who doesn't like a bit of angst?
> 
> ok so because in the canon nyx is 32, in my story he is the same age as ignis so he's 22,, because otherwise it just feels a bit weird to me.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Wherein Noctis doesn't really know what tea is, Gladiolus is amazed at the sight of a fedora collection, Ignis gets hopeful and Prompto mopes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm finally updating, by the astrals what is this magic?? i'm sorry for sucking at updating, this chapter isn't rushed so to speak, but will later be edited as in it's current state it is not. i will edit it when i next see my beta reader.
> 
> creds to. pinknoonicorn for actually suffering through all my typos and not slamming her head against a wall at the amounts of times i cursed because of them.
> 
> !!EDITED!!

The day had been fairly normal for Noctis thus far. He had arrived, Ardyn had thrown the keys at him and walked off. Leaving Noctis to open the shop, turn the lights on, clean and start up the coffee machine, yet he found himself never having to sort out the cakes, as they were always there as if by some form of magic. He was half way through cleaning one of the tables when he heard the bell chime twice, alerting him of the presence of two customers. Which was odd at this time, when the city and its inhabitants were all in a deep slumber.

Noctis looked up with a tired smile, preparing to greet the customers, when instead he found himself crying internally as he saw the two  _handsome_ men from the day before. The one with shocking emerald eyes seemed to be somewhat dragging the other man, the man with a face so gorgeous Noctis couldn't help but swoon. Currently the man's amber eyes were staring at him with not disgust, something that reminded him more of,  _irritation._ It was evident from the small scowl on his face, he did not want to be here. Especially not this early in the morning.

The slimmer of the two made his way to a table that wasn't currently being cleaned by Noctis and the other one made his way to the back, walking in with loud steps. 

Gladiolus walked into the manager of the café's office, stopping once he was in the room, his eyes scanning his surroundings. It took him awhile to process what exactly he was seeing, the wall to his left was covered in fedoras and the wall to his right was covered in what was the biggest collection of scarves he had ever laid eyes on, his eyes moved slowly, landing on a man sat at an old looking desk. The man sat with his feet on the desk, a fedora resting on his face as he was obviously, undeniably sleeping. Gladio coughed loudly, causing the man to nearly fall from his chair as he removed the hat from his face.

Ardyn sat up straight, taking in the man before him, smiling in a manner that Gladiolus could only describe as, downright creepy. Gladio was hesitant at first, but slowly walked towards the desk, sitting in front of the man. The chair he had sat in was much too small for his personal taste, but it would do. And after some time of getting over the man's smile and the fedoras that seemed to be watching him, he started going on about how Noctis had spilled coffee all over his crotch and how the 'brat', as Gladio now called him, hadn't even apologized. 

* * *

 

All was quiet when Prompto woke up the very next morning, finding himself cold, without the warmth of Nyx to cover him. He sighed as he rolled onto his side, finding the other half of the bed empty, as per usual. Slowly Prompto sat up, running a hand through his messy hair, with groggy eyes he looked towards his boyfriend's pillow, finding a small note on it. With a sad smile he picked the note up, feeling his heart flutter ever so slightly. The words were nothing special, just small and simple.

_Left you breakfast on the counter! It may be a bit cold when you wake up though, but hey, it's better than nothing right? See you later <3_

_Kweh! - **Your hero**_

With a sigh Prompto set the note down, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle over the edge softly. His eyes were downcast and his normally happy spirit had disappeared by the time he had forced himself to leave his bedroom. The house was quiet, and Prompto didn't like it, he didn't like being alone. Not one bit. He made his way towards the kitchen, finding another note next to a small plate of waffles. Prompto sat down, grabbing a waffle and the note, yet another sigh leaving his lips as he read it over, it only made him feel worse. It was too early for this type of shit.

_Your clothes are beside the bath, I know how grumpy you are in the morning. Don't really know if the clothes are clean or not though._

_Kupo! - **Nyxipoo**_

If it was even possible at this point, his mood became more foul. He just wanted to go back to bed. He finished the rest of his waffles and slowly made his way towards the bathroom, finding his clothes beside the bath just as the note had said. With a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a groan, Prompto threw on the clothes, adding an item of clothing Nyx had forgotten, before slowly and grumpily moving towards the door. He was not ready for a day of being trolled by his dad.

 

* * *

Noctis could hear the loud complaints coming from Ardyn's so called office. And although he couldn't hear much, it honestly sounded as if the man was having a one sided conversation. Noctis tried to pay it no mind as he took the other man's order. He had unfortunately asked for something Noctis hadn't heard of, and that wasn't on their menu either. Something called,  _Tea,_ _Earl Grey,_   _Hot_.

He had rushed to the kitchen and fumbled over what to do, before settling on a hot chocolate. He took the drink out, hoping he had somehow managed to guess what the thing he had ordered was. Even though he highly doubted that.

Ignis stared down at the drink when it was presented to him. The thick brown liquid had a large topping of whipped cream, small marshmallows covering the cream and a chocolate twizzler shoved on top of it all. He registered the drink for a moment, before muttering a small 'thank you' to the man, who seemed hopeful that he would like it. His eyes were begging him to act like he did, and Ignis, stern as he was, couldn't help but sigh as he took a sip of the drink, watching as the waiter quickly shuffled away . The drink wasn't what he had asked for, but it wasn't that bad on the whole. That and it made a small, unfamiliar feeling arise in his chest.

There was another chime of the bell and Prompto slowly stalked into the café wearing a black sweatshirt that reached down to his knees. He mumbled a small hello to Ignis and simply waved at Noctis, who looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Noctis looked him up and down, noticing the sweatshirt and raising his brow slightly, but saying nothing with regard to it. Prompto slouched against the counter, and then he heard the loud talking of a man in the back. He was about to speak when Noctis abruptly cut him off.

" They just stormed in here - The big guy did anyway. And now he's talking to Ardyn, and I'm gonna get fired. And Ignis, the other guy asked for an Early Grey Hot and I didn't know what that was -- "

" What did you give him instead? " 

" --Hot chocolate with cream, baby marshmallows and a chocolate twizzler? "

And Prompto couldn't help but facepalm, his mood somewhat lifted by his friend's stupidity, " Noct, it's a type of tea! You're from a rich family, you should know this! " He laughed softly, watching the despair in the man's face. Prompto only knew what Earl Grey was, because he had plenty of memories of his father sitting in his chair, sipping his tea at him... sassily.

 

Gladiolus was slowly getting tired of getting nothing but nods and hums at whatever he said. It was constant and it was very tempting to punch the guy in the face, but he refrained from doing so. He felt something like joy when he saw the man open his mouth to say something.

" -- Where did you get your tattoos? They're cool. Mm.. "

Oh, how Gladio wanted to punch him at this moment in time.

" The blue crystal tattoo parlour. Ok, seriously dude. How are you still in business if you treat every complaining customer like this? You have like, two employees. Barely any customers, and on top of that, you work in like a secluded part of the city. Yet, given all that, you still have the nicest lookin' cakes I have ever seen. "

Ardyn's grin reached his eyes at that point, and he leaned forward, towards the man, " Centuries of practice, my boy. "

 

Ignis had just finished his chocolate when Gladio came out of the back, a confused look present on his face. Which wasn't surprising to Ignis, and he didn't even know why. Gladiolus heaved a sigh as they paid and left. The fresh air hit them like a ton of moogles, it was cold and bitter. Neither of them liked it. 

Gladio looked towards Ignis when he began to talk and hid a grin at the words that left his mouth.

" Gladiolus, I think the waiter was flirting with me. " 

" Oh, really? "

 

Noctis felt a sense of dread run up his spine when he saw Ardyn walk out of his office, waiting for the words, you're fired, to leave the man's lips. But they never came, and Noctis burst out laughing at what the man did say.

 

" We were talking tattoos. I'm thinking of getting a fedora tattoed on my ass. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> told you ardyn was a troll


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Wherein Noctis eavesdrops, Gladiolus schemes, Prompto skulks, Nyx tries to be cute, Ardyn gives a shovel talk and Ignis is visibly absent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!EDITED!!
> 
> get ready for this shitfest ladies and gentlemen! 
> 
> so ignis isn't in this chapter, he's mentioned yes. but he's not in it.

The café went dead silent. 

It took Prompto a while to take in his father's words, given the fact that every word was worse than the last. His cheeks suddenly went a bright shade of red, the colour spreading to the very tips of his ears, his eyes taking on a look of sheer disappointment.

" Dad, if you do.. I will disown you as a father. " he mumbled, watching as Ardyn smirked mischievously, leaning on the counter with his elbow.

What Prompto couldn't see however was Noctis stood behind him, giving Ardyn a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

_" There's only one problem, I can't decide which ass cheek to get it on. "_

Prompto let out a loud groan, slowly walking into the back to avoid the mess that was his father. He came to the conclusion that literally anything was better than talking to Ardyn. As soon as Prompto disappeared into the back, Noctis quickly returned to cleaning the tables. Ardyn stayed at the counter, waiting for someone to come in. 

A small ring echoed throughout the café, as a customer walked in. Ardyn looked up at the customer and his demeanor changed. Noctis felt the room darken, a certain malice now present in the room. It sent a shiver up Noctis' spine, but he tried to look past that as he continued to clean the tables, even though at this point the tables were more clean that they had ever been. 

Nyx stood just inside the door, one of his braids falling over his shoulder as he looked around. He slowly walked towards the counter, not registering who was stood behind it. Upon doing so, the smile he previously had on his face vanished, any trace of happiness disappeared into thin air, " Hello Ardyn. " 

" Ulric. " Came Ardyn's short and uninterested reply, obvious disgust and hatred written all over his pale features. " What do you want? Prompto's working. "

" I came to see my  _boyfriend_ at work. " 

" Hah! Your boyfriend? If he's your boyfriend why does he always look so down after seeing you? Why is it that only  _you_ have the ability to make my sunshine frown? "

Noctis was quick to go into the back, grabbing Prompto by the arm and informing him of the arrival of Nyx. Realization dawned in Prompto's eyes and he quickly ran out into the main part of the shop. Nyx turned when he heard him call his name, and his eyes widened as he was grabbed by Prompto, who sent a dirty look at Ardyn before dragging Nyx to the outside of the shop.

" Nyx, what are you doing here? "

" I came to see you. "

Prompto deadpanned, his eyes going downward for a second before going straight back towards Nyx, " What made you think that was a good idea Nyx? You know how much my dad hates you! "

Nyx's eyes darkened ever so slightly, " What does that matter? You're my boyfriend, I have the right to come see you when you're at work. "

" No, you don't! It's my dads shop! Not yours, or mine! Think about someone other than yourself for once! "

The glaive almost froze in his place, before his eyes set themselves into a glare, his fists clenched and a dry laugh left his lips, " Fine. Whatever, I gotta get back to work. Bye Prompto. " he practically hissed, before turning and marching off in a different direction. Prompto stood there for a short moment of time before walking back into the shop, giving his dad a smile, telling him Nyx had to get back to work, before he went back behind the counter. 

* * *

 

Gladio stood in the training district of the glaive building, his queensglaive garb covered in dust and soil from the rough outside ground he stood on. The building was surprisingly quiet, not a glaive but himself was in sight, which unnerved him slightly. His hair had become a tattered mess, and his face was flushed a light shade of red at the amount of times he had warped up and down. 

A cough from behind him caused him to turn around abruptly, holding his sword up in front of him. He put it down upon seeing Nyx stood before him. The two gave each other a small nod, and Nyx drew his kukris, throwing them up in a decisive manner, warping a staggering forty metres into the air, before losing concentration and falling. Gladio thankfully was still stood there, and managed to warp in time to catch the man before he hit the ground. 

" A little distracted today Ulric? " Gladio teased, a smug grin on his face at the fact the great the hero of the glaives had fallen.

Nyx was quick to jump out of the man's arms with a huff, his eyes looking anywhere but at the man. His hand automatically went towards one of the braids in his hair, twizzling it unconsciously in between his fingers. His eyes now focused themselves on the ground, and a sigh left his lips, " You know, just relationship problems. " he confessed, with yet another sigh. 

Gladiolus stopped for a second, scratching the side of his head in a confused manner, " You're in a relationship? " he asked, it evident in his gruff voice that he was very much confused by that statement. Nyx finally turned to look at him, with a look of pure disbelief.

" I've been in one with Prompto, for like, five years Gladio. " 

" You hav - Who's Prompto? "

Nyx facepalmed, shaking his head as he did so, he had explained this to Gladio at least twice in two years. He looked Gladiolus directly in the eyes, " Y'know the café you were in earlier? " he asked, planning on explaining later how he knew the man had been in there. He received a small nod, " The blonde bartender, the asshole of an owner's son. "

A look of realization dawned on Gladio's face, before it was replaced by what could only be disbelief, " That guy has a son? " Nyx laughed at the question, nodding in return. 

A little time passed as the two kept training, talking as they did. And it wasn't long before Gladio grinned mischievously, " Say Nyx. " The man hummed in response as he picked his fallen kukris up from the ground, " Do you know anything about the dark haired guy in the café, the waiter? " he asked, earning an interested look from the other man. Gladio laughed and put up his hands, " Just askin' for Ignis. "

" Noctis is kind of an ass. Lazy and uninterested. But he's Prompto's best bud and he is a kind-ish soul at heart. "

" He spilled coffee on my crotch. "

Nyx couldn't help but burst out laughing at that comment, listening as Gladio joined him in the laughter. Nyx's mood had definitely improved thanks to Gladio.

* * *

Prompto's breathing was ragged, his fingers were trembling as he grabbed as much of his stuff as he could, shoving it into a bag quickly. He had written a note to Nyx, claiming he was going to stay with Noctis for the night, because he missed hanging out at his friend's place. Which wasn't exactly a lie. 

He slung the bag over his shoulder, putting his shoes on and running out of the apartment complex. It didn't take him long to reach the expensive side of town, and when he did, as always it left him breathless. How could people live happily in such extravagant houses? Usually those houses had seventeen rooms and only one person living in such an over the top house. It was stupid really. 

Prompto was now walking through the streets, looking at all the people in expensive looking silks and lace, dresses and tuxedos. It made Prompto feel self conscious in his tattered jeans and old vest. But at the same time it made him feel like he was the only person in this crowd that was actually wearing comfortable clothes. He came to a stop in front of a white house, with a large wooden door. It wasn't really a house in the blonde's eyes, it was a small castle.

He rang the doorbell, causing it to echo throughout the whole house. Prompto waited for a bit, before the large door was opened by Noctis' dad's butler, Jared. Prompto offered the old man a smile, which Jared returned, he moved aside to let the young man in, informing him that Noctis was in the game room, or as Prompto called it, Noctis' bunker. 

He walked through the large halls, passing at least fifteen different doors, to at least fifteen different rooms. He shook his head slightly, reaching the bunker after a long while. He opened the door to find Noctis slouched on, or in this case in, a bean bag. The man was playing Assassin's Creed on the large flat screen, and he only paused upon seeing Prompto in his peripheral vision. Noctis gave him a small smile as he slouched into the chocobo bean bag next to his. 

" Yo. " Was the small greeting he received from the man, causing Prompto to laugh. Noctis already knew that his friend had plans to bunk there that night. He grabbed another controller and gave it to him, Prompto took it happily. Noctis turned the game back on, going onto the recently added multiplayer mode. 

" Dad's on a business trip, so we got all night. " 

" Woop woop! "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see? shitfest.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Wherein Noctis proves he doesn't know shit about coffee, Gladiolus is a good friend, Prompto is depressed, Nyx is sarcastic and Ignis is a douche.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!EDITED!!
> 
> in case you couldn't tell i have literally no updating schedule, and i apologize in advance for that. (it also has to do with my beta /coughs/ Pink /coughs/ is lazy and couldn't be bothered helping me edit until today, still love her though) 
> 
> so please do enjoy this mess of angst

Prompto’s night had certainly been long, very long. Him and Noctis had stayed up until the late hours of the night, playing various different games, and Noctis had stayed up even longer than usual, so that Prompto could cry to him about Nyx. 

Prompto could feel the headache that was forming as he walked to the café with his friend, large black bags resting under his eyes and his whole body hunched forward in a tired manner. He let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, not yet prepared to face the day. And especially not to go home hours later. If there was one thing Prompto Izunia was bad at, it was facing reality. 

The street they walked on was surprisingly empty, not a single soul seemed to be in view, and the two young men could only question why Ardyn opened the shop this early in the morning to begin with. Prompto could see two figures stood by the door to the café, and it surprised him that anyone was even awake at this time. 

Noctis recognized the two men far quicker than he should have been able to, what with their amazing good looks and,  _ if he did say so himself,  _ good asses. He gave them a small wave as he approached the door, watching as Prompto fished out the keys from his pocket. Then upon not seeing them leave, Noctis realized that they wanted to come in to the café, which at the end of the day, he supposed was normal.

He heard Prompto sigh as he walked into the café, throwing the keys onto the nearest table, and immediately disappearing somewhere into the back. Noctis grabbed his apron, throwing it on himself as he watched the two men sit down. He took a long, deep, agonizing breath and walked towards them, looking between the two with the best smile he could muster at eight o’clock in the morning.

 

“ So, what’ll it be today? “

 

There was a moment of silence as Gladio and Ignis chose what they wanted, and when they did Noctis wanted to dig a hole and hide in it for the rest of his life. He sighed as he slowly walked towards the kitchen, finding Prompto in there slouching over the coffee machine in a depressed manner. Noctis sighed and patted his friend on the back, “ C’mon Prompto. Make some black coffee. “ 

Prompto nodded and started making the coffee. Noctis went a little further into the back, trying to figure out what in the name of the astrals a Kopi Luwak was - because they sure as hell didn’t have whatever it was in the shop, so Noctis being Noctis, decided to settle on a strawberry smoothie, with raspberries and a pretty pink umbrella on the top. 

Soon after he grabbed the depressing looking coffee from Prompto as well as the smoothie he had made and slowly walked outside. The shop still only had two customers in it, as none would be foolish enough to come out at this time in the morning, unless it be for work. With a sigh he walked to their table, setting their drinks down before slowly shuffling off to the back.

Ignis stared at his drink for a very long time, taking in the sheer amount of pink on the exact opposite of what he had ordered. He had ordered something he knew the shop would definitely  _ not  _ have, even so, he at the very least expected a normal coffee, not a smoothie. 

Gladio burst out laughing as he saw what his friend had been given, using his hand to cover his mouth, as he tried to muffle the loud roaring that was his laughter.  His own coffee was exactly what he had ordered, a simple black coffee, nothing special or particularly rare, so it came as no surprise that he had been given what he wanted. But looking at the drink Ignis had been given, he could do nothing but laugh even more than before. Ignis in his opinion, was trying a little  _ too  _ hard. 

 

But at least unlike Gladio, he was actually trying. 

 

Ignis took a sip of the smoothie and his face contorted into a look of pure disgust. Slowly and almost hesitantly he stood up, grabbing the smoothie in his right hand and walking towards the counter, where Noctis stood, phone in hand. He coughed, catching the attention of the young man, who immediately shoved his phone into his back pocket and smiled at the man in front of him. 

“ Can I help you with something, Ignis? “

Ignis was surprised that the man even remembered his name, but he did nothing but shake his head slightly at that thought. He placed the smoothie down onto the counter, smiling ever so slightly as he tried to hide the disgust he felt upon tasting the strawberry smoothie, “ This isn’t what I ordered. “ he said. 

There was a very long, awkward silence, in which all you could hear was Gladio slurping his coffee annoyingly, which just made Ignis cringe. He sighed once more, watching as Noctis’ face turned into a look of pure confusion, before he groaned rather loudly, “ I didn’t know what a.. Crappy Lookya was - “ 

“  _ Kopi Luwak.  _ “ Ignis immediately interrupted, holding his finger up in a manner that showed he was trying to correct him. This caused Noctis to scowl at him ever so slightly, “ It’s a type of coffee for your information. “

This conversation went on for hours, mainly focusing on the fact that Noctis thought that there should only be one type of coffee, and that Ignis thought that if he worked as a waiter, he should at least know more than two types of coffee. But his version was much more detailed.

In this time Gladio had disappeared as he had training, and it was about five hours later that Ignis actually got around to leaving, after having absolutely nothing to drink and having sighed at least seventeen times.

* * *

 

Gladio had been training for about seven hours after that, when Nyx appeared, looking worse than he had the day before. His hair was messy and his eyes never properly looked up at Gladio. This was unsettling to Gladio, in every way shape and form, after all Nyx was the type of person to never actually shut up.

It was on the third hour of Nyx being there that Gladio decided enough was enough, it seemed like they both needed a break, or in other a words,  _ a drink.  _ Gladio grabbed Nyx by the shoulder, causing the man to look up very suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, “ What? “

“ You and me, are goin’ for a drink. “  He stated matter of factly, basically saying that he wasn’t allowed to argue with him on this, that one way or another, he was going for a drink with him. Nyx only sighed, and nodded, before he was grabbed by the arm and dragged to the nearest pub,  _ The Accursed. _

The pub was filled with people, most drunk but some not. And Gladio had a very specific plan set in his mind, to be one of those many drunk people. Him and Nyx were slow as they walked into the loud building. Almost instantly they were assaulted by several very drunk women. Nyx was quick to push them away, and walk to the bar, whilst Gladio was fine with it.

Nyx ordered a beer for himself and one for Gladio, who joined him quickly after realizing these women were hopeless. He sat down beside Nyx, who proceeded to down the beer and order another one. Hour after hour, beer after beer, Nyx began to spill all of his problems to Gladio, who listened with nothing but interest.

The sky was dark when Nyx walked home, his mind hazy and his thoughts unclear. He reached his apartment in under ten minutes, ten minutes which included much wobbling and nearly puking. He opened the door, finding the light to be on and Prompto stood in the kitchen, a mug of hot cocoa in his hands.

Nyx felt a scowl appear on his normally smiling face, his eyebrows furrowing and his eyes turning bitter, “ Finally came home, eh Chocobo? “ Every word that left his mouth was said in a sarcastic tone. Each word, made Prompto’s shoulders tense a little bit more.

With a sigh, the young man turned around to face Nyx, his eyes staring at the other man with worry, “ Nyx, c’mon you’re drunk let’s get you to bed. “ he said with concern, each word a little more tender than the last. He was trying very hard not to break in front of Nyx, not now.

Nyx scoffed, “ Or what, you gonna go back to daddy dear and cry? Get me into more trouble, make him hate me some more? That’ll give you an ever better excuse not to want to see me. Maybe you can go to Noctis, profess your undying love for him. “ Each and every word was filled with bitterness. This caused Prompto’s eyes to start watering.

“ Aw, you gonna cry now? “

Prompto slowly walked up to him, setting the cocoa down. He now stood mere centimeters away from Nyx, raising his hand he slapped him clean across the face, salty tears streaming down his face, “ Fuck you, Nyx Ulric. You can sleep on the couch tonight you dick. “

And with that he marched towards  _ their  _ bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He slowly climbed into the bed, bringing the covers up over his face, crying softly to himself. Nyx was never that bad when he was drunk. Never.

His tears began to dry as he slowly fell asleep, and his breathing calmed. He only hoped that he would wake up in the morning, to find Nyx beside him, and to find out the past few days had been nothing but a bad dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> promnyx is meltingggg, it's so hard for me to writeeee


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Wherein Noctis is a ray of sunshine, Gladiolus really likes cake, Ignis eavesdrops and shouldn't, Prompto says Blub, Nyx is mean and Ardyn gives good hugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!EDITED!!
> 
> a wild Rem has appeared!
> 
> so haha funny story actually -- nope, i don't have a legitimate reason for not updating in three months, so here have this giant shitfest enjoy it, and hope i update soon! woo

Nyx woke up to find himself sprawled uncomfortably on the couch, his limbs in strange positions. One of his braids had somehow forced itself into his nose, that being the cause of him waking up. His head throbbed as he slowly sat up, the braid eventually leaving the depths of his nostrils. His mind felt groggy as he tried to recall the events of last night, but found that it was nothing but a blurry haze.

He pushed himself up from his sitting position, and dragged his feet towards the bedroom. He stopped when he heard shuffling in the bathroom, changing his route he found himself standing in the bathroom doorway. Prompto’s head snapped up when he heard Nyx, and his face seemingly darkened.

Prompto looked away from Nyx and once again into the mirror. He paid the man no mind as he continued brushing through his hair, his eyes looking at Nyx every so often. Nyx stood there for a moment, confused as to why there was an air of mistrust about Prompto. He placed a hand on Prompto’s shoulder and felt him tense, as if he were about to be attacked.

“ You have a weird way of saying good morning, Prompto. “

Prompto grunted in response, shrugging Nyx’s hand off of his shoulder. He pushed his way past Nyx and started making his way into the kitchen, not once saying a word as he did so. Nyx’s brows furrowed in confusion as he followed after Prompto.

“ Is… Is something wrong, Prom? “

A laugh left Prompto’s throat before he could stop it, he turned to face Nyx, a sharp look in his eyes. He took a step towards Nyx and scowled, his hands curling into fists. He took another step forward and found himself face to face with the other man.

“ Is something wrong? Did you really just ask me, if something was wrong? “

His voice was frantic and borderline angry. His hands waved around as he spoke, and his eyes stared directly into Nyx’s, who stared straight back at him. Prompto stopped when he saw the look in his eyes, and another laugh escaped his lips.

“ You don’t remember do you? That’s great, amazing in fact. You don’t remember coming back home, shouting at me, accusing me of loving someone else. You remember none of that. You don’t remember your own goddamn actions. “

Nyx’s shoulders tensed, flexing his hands in frustration. He tried to remember, tried to piece back together the night before, but found himself unable to remember anything. Prompto was right, he didn’t remember, but surely the words he said last night weren’t so different from the truth, the thoughts he kept to himself. The thoughts he tried to push far into his mind.

“ Was I wrong? “

“ … What? “

“ About what I said last night, _was I wrong?_ “

Prompto’s eyes widened and he finally stepped back, trying to get away from Nyx. Trying to register his words and their meaning, but found himself at a loss. Found himself grabbing his bag, filled with his belongings, found himself staring at Nyx, his eyes sharp and deadly.

 

“ _I’m not coming back._ “

 

* * *

 

Noctis’ elbow was on the counter, and he had to force his eyes to stay open. A yawn left his lips as he used his free hand to rub his watering eyes. Looking around the café there were few customers, maybe one or two of the regulars. Slowly his eyes began to close, and his hand began to slip from underneath his chin. All was quiet.

Until Prompto barged in, nearly breaking the glass on the door as he opened it. Noctis’ eyes opened as his chin hit the counter, causing him to groan in pain. He rubbed his chin as he lifted his head to glare at Prompto, who now stood beside him, a bag slung over his shoulder.

“ Shiva’s tits dude. You look like you ran he -- Hey what’s wrong? Prompto? Prompto, what’s wrong? “

Prompto had thrown himself into his best friend’s arms, tears streaming down his face at an ungodly rate. He hid his face in Noctis’ chest, and sobbed, violently. Noctis was certain he was trying to communicate, but all he could get from him was something along the lines of _Blub, Nyx, Blub, Blub, Blub._

Noctis tried to calm his friend down, but found himself unable to do so. Instead he allowed Prompto to just cry all over him, muttering things every so often. Eventually Prompto calmed down enough to slowly and in an agitated manner tell Noctis exactly what had happened. Noctis’ eyes had set themselves into a hard stare, and the two were so into the conversation that they didn’t hear the loud ring of the bell.

Gladio and Ignis walked into the café, talking to each other about trivial, unimportant matters. Their talking came to a sudden halt, as did their steps upon hearing Noctis and Prompto… fighting?

Ignis listened closely to their words, what he could hear of them anyway. To an outsider like Ignis it seemed obvious what exactly was happening. Ignis felt a small pang in his chest as he looked at Gladio, who seemingly wasn’t paying as much attention to the conversation as he was the cakes on display.

“ Gladio… they’re… breaking up. “

Gladio’s head snapped up at Ignis’ words, and eventually he started listening, maybe it was because they had already broken up, or simply because he wasn’t listening hard enough, but the words Ignis had apparently heard, were very different to what Gladiolus was hearing now. With a raised brow Gladio turned to fully face Ignis, who had a strange air of betrayal about him.

Gladio rolled his eyes as he grabbed Ignis’ arm, pulling him towards their normal booth. Gladio sat down, but watched as Ignis took his sweet time to do the same. When he did eventually sit down, he remained perfectly composed, making sure not to show the turmoil of emotions that ran through him. They waited for Noctis to come get their order, but found that he didn’t come.

Noctis’ t-shirt was now soaking, and a large wet patch was present where Prompto had cried on him. He was in a mood now, not because of Prompto, but because of what had happened _to_ Prompto. He walked into the back for two seconds, shouting towards the sleeping Ardyn, telling him he was leaving for a couple minutes.

Ignis watched as Noctis, in his eyes, stormed past them, seemingly annoyed or angry by something. Ignis raised his hand to point at Noctis, obviously trying to prove a point to Gladio, who merely rolled his eyes once more. It was Prompto who came shuffling towards them, his eyes puffy and red, but a smile resting on his face as he took their order.

He came back a few minutes later, placing their drinks and Gladio’s cake on the table, smiling as he walked away. Ignis was disappointed to see that for once, his order was correct. Gladio stared down at the cake, then back at Ignis, then at the cake. He continued to do this for a couple minutes, his eyes becoming sore as he did so.

“ Do you… “

“ _No._ Gladio, I do not. " 

Gladio shrugged as he began eating the cake, his full attention now on the sickly sweet treat. As he continued eating the cake, Noctis came back in wearing a different t-shirt. Gladio looked up at him and snorted, his hand flying over his mouth.

Noctis stood in the doorway of the café, the bright yellow of his choco-moogle t-shirt vibrant in the morning sun. His head snapped towards Gladio as he heard him snort, and he sighed exasperatedly as he turned away from them and back towards the counter. Prompto sat underneath the counter, nestling himself in his own arms, a plastic plate on his head.

 

* * *

 

The café stayed quiet as usual for the rest of the day, with occasional customers coming and going. Gladio and Ignis stayed there until closing time, and Noctis was eager to kick them out as Ignis had been staring at him for nearly four hours.

“ Guys, out it’s closing time. “

“ Is it? Damn, c’mon Iggy. “

Ignis was slow as he stood up, his movement so slow Gladio basically had to throw money onto the table and push Ignis out. The night air was refreshing against his skin, and he stopped pushing Ignis, who nearly fell over because the lack of pressure on his back.

“ Iggy, dude, you’re being really weird. Did you think you’d found true love or some shit like that? “

“ _What?_ **_No._ ** “

Gladio only hummed in response, starting to laugh as Ignis glared at him.

  


Noctis had left and Prompto was left alone in the café. He pushed himself up off the floor, cursing as his head hit the counter, with a sigh he grabbed his bag and started making his way towards the door that led to his father’s apartment.

Pushing the door open he now stood in Ardyn’s office, which still confused him with the over abundance of hats and scarfs. He walked towards the door in the corner, opening it, he ascended the stairs. There weren’t many stairs, but Prompto found himself walking at an incredibly slow pace.

Eventually he found himself in Ardyn’s apartment where he had grown up. Ardyn was humming a strange, creepy tune to himself in the kitchen, Prompto admired the fact that nothing had changed since his last visit.

“ Dad..? The tune you’re humming is really creepy. “

Silence filled the apartment as Ardyn slowly made his way out of the kitchen, eyes wide as he saw Prompto stood in the the living room, a large bag resting at his feet. His eyes still remained puffy and his lips had gone a light shade of red.

“ You broke up didn’t you? “

The reaction was instant, Prompto had flung himself at Ardyn, like he had earlier with Noctis. Tears streamed down his face, even as Ardyn slowly led them towards his chair. Soon Prompto found himself on his father’s lap, Ardyn’s hand awkwardly patting his hair, his eyes somewhat dark.

“ I swear to god, if I ever get my hands on him I will - “

Prompto only cried more at Ardyn’s words, leaving the man at a loss, confused as to what he should do. So he just let Prompto wear himself out, his cries dying down as the night went on. Ardyn wanted to move, but couldn’t as Prompto had fallen asleep on his lap. He sighed almost sadly, and allowed himself to slowly fall asleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good hugs, ardyn gives very good awkward hugs, in fact, he's the best at that kind of hug.


End file.
